Bennettsville in Marlboro County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

St. Michael’s Methodist Church

Photographed by J. J. Prats, March 19, 2025

1. St. Michael’s Methodist Church Marker, Side One

Inscription. Established in 1868, St. Michael’s was the first Methodist congregation in Bennettsville organized by African Americans. Early members met south of here at a community worship building used by local freedpeople after the Civil War. They built the first church at this site in the 1870s. St. Michael’s was one of the earliest institutions in the African American neighborhood_eventually known as “The Gulf.”

In 1923, St. Michael’s replaced an older wooden building with the brick Gothic Revival church that still stands. A parsonage built adjacent to the church at that time was torn down in the 2000s. The church was designed by Miller Fulton Whittaker, professor at S.C. State College and one of the first Black architects in S.C. It was built by local residents led by Lee Alonzo Blackman, a contractor and St. Michael’s member.

Erected 2022 by Department of Archives and History. Sponsored by the Marlboro County Historical Society. (Marker Number 35-46.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Religion & Religious Structures. A significant historical year for this entry is 1868.

Location. 34° 37.008′ N, 79° 41.223′ W. Marker is in Bennettsville, South Carolina, in Marlboro

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

County. It is at the intersection of Cheraw Street and West Market Street, on the left when traveling south on Cheraw Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 114 Cheraw St, Bennettsville SC 29512, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in South Carolina’s Pee Dee.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Deep South.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: “The Gulf” (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); D.D. McColl House / D.D. McColl House (about 500 feet away); Workers Enterprise Bank (about 600 feet away); Marlborough County Court House (about 700 feet away); Bennettsville (approx. 0.2 miles away); Confederate Civil War Monument (approx. 0.2 miles away); General John McQueen (approx. 0.2 miles away); Bennettsville Presbyterian Church (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Bennettsville.

St. Michael’s Methodist Church Marker, Side Two image. Click for full size.

Photographed by J. J. Prats, March 19, 2025

2. St. Michael’s Methodist Church Marker, Side Two

St. Michael’s Methodist Church Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by J. J. Prats, March 19, 2025

3. St. Michael’s Methodist Church Marker

St. Michael’s Methodist Church, Bennettsville SC image. Click for full size.

Photographed by J. J. Prats, March 19, 2025

4. St. Michael’s Methodist Church, Bennettsville SC

The cornerstone is visible on the right of the rightmost steps.

St. Michael’s Methodist Church Cornerstone image. Click for full size.

Photographed by J. J. Prats, March 19, 2025

5. St. Michael’s Methodist Church Cornerstone

St. Michael M. E. Church erected 1922 A. D. • Rev. J. B. Taylor, Pastor.

Trustees E. J. Sawyer, Chairman; R. G . Powe, Treas.; W. M. Townsend; L. McKay; D. J. Brayboy; Phil. Lawson; H. E. Covington.

Credits. This page was last revised on March 24, 2025. It was originally submitted on March 24, 2025, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 160 times since then and 21 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on March 24, 2025, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.